SHELTON, Conn.—The Sacred Heart University rowing team had a successful day of racing at home on the Housatonic River on Sunday. The Pioneers hosted Fairfield and Canisius, sweeping the competition in all four races and ended the day with plenty to celebrate. Ten seniors were recognized prior to the races and two shells were chistened. 
 
The Varsity 8 collected the first Pio victory, with a time of 6:40.53, followed by Fairfield at 6:49.46 and Canisius at 6:51.67. SHU started strong, they got off the line and established their margins early in the second 500. 
 
The 2V8 battled for the win as they came back after trailing the Stags by a length. The Pios came out on top with a time of 7:07.9 while Fairfield was closely behind with a time of 7:12.5. "The 2V had the most inspirational race of the day," said Coach Wilhelm. "At the halfway point they were down a length to Fairfield. I prayed for them to row with courage, and they did, walking back through the Stags to win by 5 seconds in a move that I won't soon forget."
 
The Pioneers dominated the Varsity Four and 2V4 races. SHU secured the Varsity Four win with a time of 8:00.9. Canisius finished second with a time of 8:19.1 and Fairfield finished third at 8:37.2. In the 2V4 SHU finished first with a time of 8:36.7, defeating Fairfield who finished in 9:17.6. "The fours were most dominant with large margins and powerful base paces that propelled them to a sweep in the A four, B four, and C four! Proud of this team."

"What a day for our senior sendoff," said Head Coach Lucas Wilhelm. "We had a wonderful time honoring the Class of 2024 with wins across the board and christening a new racing shell named after this group. We also had the chance to honor our sports administrator, Charlie Dowd with a new shell. He's been an outstanding advocate for our team and a mentor for me." 

The Pioneers will head to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship on Saturday, May 18.